All in the family: Son-in-law replaces Menhart

Carmichaels’ search for a football coach to replace John Menhart did not last very long, nor did it get all that complicated.

After Menhart stepped down in the middle of May, Carmichaels needed a little more than a month to hire his replacement: 26-year-old Ryan Krull, who is Menhart’s son-in-law.

The hiring of Krull was approved at Thursday night’s school board meeting.

“Excited, obviously,” said Krull, a former Waynesburg University player who has been an assistant at Carmichaels the past two seasons. “Excited at the opportunity to fulfill one of the goals that I’ve had since I was a senior in high school (at Central Cambria).”

In one of the more obscure coaching setups throughout the WPIAL, Krull will be in charge of a coaching staff that includes a pair of greats in Menhart, who will remain as an assistant, and Jan Haiden, the longtime Jefferson-Morgan head coach who helped out Menhart last fall.

Krull joked that Menhart and Haiden have been coaching nearly as long as he’s been alive, though he doesn’t foresee any problems. Especially considering what the three have in common.

“We all know football,” Krull said. “Regardless of how old any one of us are, I think we all have a mutual respect for one another’s knowledge of the game. I wouldn’t say I feel rattled or intimidated because I’ve studied the game. I’ve tried learning as much as I possibly could, ever since my years in high school.”

Menhart resigned May 16 after coming to the realization that his time as principal was far too encompassing.

Krull was already running the offseason program, something Menhart had entrusted to the 2009 Waynesburg graduate. Menhart had also promoted Krull to offensive coordinator in 2012 after the latter worked with the wide receivers in 2011.

Krull declined to say whether he would keep his play-calling duties, saying he wants to talk it over with his fellow coaches.

Carmichaels went 21-18 the past four years under Menhart, who also was the head coach from 1989-2002.

The Mikes return a talented quarterback in Brandon Lawless, whose athletic abilities – and Krull’s prodding – convinced Menhart to open up the playbook a little this past fall.

Just don’t expect Carmichaels to turn into a spread team that throws the ball all over the field.

“In terms of offensive philosophy or what we’ve done year-to-year, it’s not going to change much, especially when you’re talking about the high school level,” Krull said. “We’re going to keep it simple: two backs in the backfield, sometimes maybe one. But we’re not in the SEC or ACC; we don’t have three hours every day to coach these kids. We’re going to teach them the basics, and hopefully they can do all those things pretty well.”